April 30 was Arbor Day. Most likely if you ask anyone under the age of 45, most of them might vaguely know it has something to do with trees.

My parents always participated in Arbor Day planting when my two sisters and I were young and we would go to the farm store and carefully choose what type of tree we would nurture.

Then when I stared grammar school every student was given a tree seedling in a plastic baggie to take home and plant and nurture.

My parents said it was our duty to see that the earth would always have trees to shelter homes from the cold winds in winter and for shade in the summer, provide us clean air, not to mention it would grow and provide a home for little critters such as squirrels, chipmunks and all the birds.

It became a yearly event to plant a tree for Arbor Day and in school it became one of our history lessons.

What is Arbor Day and why is it celebrated?

Arbor Day literally translates to “tree” day from the Latin origin of the word arbores - a holiday that celebrates the planting, upkeep and preservation of trees.

The first Arbor Day was on April 10, 1872, in Nebraska City, Nebraska. It’s estimated that nearly one million trees were planted on this day. By 1885, Arbor Day had become a legal holiday in Nebraska.

The story is pretty well documented and as it goes the Nebraska newspaper editor J. Sterling Morton, a resident of Nebraska City, had an enthusiasm for trees and advocated strongly for individuals and civic groups to plant them.

Once he became secretary of the Nebraska Territory, he spread his message of the value of trees. And on Jan. 4, 1872, Morton first proposed a tree planting holiday to be called “Arbor Day” at a meeting of the State Board of Agriculture.

When we built our home 37 years ago I insisted we buy Scotch pine seedlings from the Monroe County Conservation District to plant all the way up our fence row. Thankfully, they were still seedlings so you didn’t have to dig too deep. I watered, fed and cared for the trees and they did not disappoint. They have been home to more baby birds and bunnies than I can count and kept the winds from our house in the winter.

Sadly, now 37 years later they are old and starting to die. I will miss their creaking branches when the wind blows and the snow covers their branches and makes them look like tall ladies dancing.

Arbor Day is celebrated in all 50 states. The most common date for the state observance of National Arbor Day is the last Friday in April but a number of state Arbor Days are at other times to coincide with the best tree planting weather, from January and February in the south to May in the far north.

You can do your share to keep the air clean and protect the wildlife by simply planting a tree in your yard and if you have children teach them the reason there is an Arbor Day.